Letter to the Editor: My Comments before our County Commission

Charlie Hunt
Mill Creek Estates

Dear Historic City News readers:

After speaking at the Board of County Commissioners meeting on July 16th, I kept thinking about how St Johns County has become tainted. This election cycle shows me the essence of how politics operate.

This election cycle has an agenda item that is overlooked or not fully expressed, the Comprehensive Plan. To carry out major changes to the existing “comp plan”, developers, like Hutson and others, require the vote of most of the Board. Much like the expansion of the Silverleaf DRI in December 2021 and May 2022 required the actions of a Hutson backed appointee.

When I spoke before the Board, I mentioned the relationship of voting when in the military. It’s an event that’s taken seriously from federal to local, while being assigned to CONUS or Europe or conflicts in southwest Asia. To travel the world, learn how differently elections are held or to provide help to hold an election. Being thousands of miles away from home, getting a ballot from home, and freely voting is an action many feel grateful doing and representing the United States of America. Now after leaving that environment, that life, that world, and seeing firsthand how local elections are manipulated for the purpose of benefiting a few, I find elections very aggravating and disturbing.

So, to help express my true concerns here is information on “strawmen” or “ghost candidates”.

During the 2022 Primary Elections:

• Michael C. Lanza, write-in, SJC Commissioner Dist. 4, he withdrew after Krista Keating-Joseph upset incumbent Jeremiah Blocker.
• Graham McGee, write-in, SJC Commissioner Dist. 2, he withdrew after Sara Arnold won primary.
• Weston Adwell, write-in, State Senate Dist. 7, she withdrew after Travis Hutson won primary.
• James Higbee, write-in, State Senate Dist. 7, he withdrew after Travis Hutson won primary.

According to the Form 6 Disclosure of Financial Interest, all the 2022 write-in candidates, except Lanza, were working at McGraw Digital Marketing.

In 2024 Primary Elections:

• Weston Ferguson, Republican, SJC Commissioner Dist. 1. She still reports working at McGraw Digital Marketing. Her maidan name was Adwell.
• Taylor Ohntrup, Write-In, SJC Commissioner Dist. 1. He works at McGraw Digital Marketing.
• Fitch McGraw, Write-In, SJC Commissioner Dist. 3. He worked at McGraw Digital Marketing and is the brother of Chip McGraw, CEO of McGraw Digital Marketing.
• John Higbee III, Republican, SJC Commissioner Dist. 5. He is the grandfather of James Higbee and works as a political campaign manager. John Higbee III lives in Jacksonville, not St Johns County.

St Johns County bears a responsibility to conduct clean elections, not to condone actions by the ones who purposely dilute this highly honored and cherished event.